Parkville

A Parkville couple accused of treating a 15-year-old girl from North Carolina as their personal sex "slave" and filming and distributing videos online of their sexual interactions with her have each been indicted on more than a dozen state and federal sex abuse charges. The federal indictment, made this month, includes charges of producing and distributing child pornography, and transporting the girl across state lines for sexual reasons. John Andrew Blaes, 48, and Margaret Ellen Jones, 36, met online in 2010 and "became involved in a sexual relationship involving bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism," according to the federal indictment, filed May 9. Shortly after, Jones moved into Blaes' home in the 8600 block of Wendell Ave. in Parkville.

Leonard A. Skovira, who established three area dry-cleaning establishments and was also an inventor, died May 13 of cancer at his Parkville home. He was 94. Mr. Skovira was born and raised in Jessup, Pa., where he graduated in 1936 from Jessup High School. After high school, he served in the Pennsylvania National Guard and the merchant marine and then took a job in New York City working at Child's Restaurants, first as a busboy and then as a waiter and bartender. With the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Skovira moved to Baltimore and went to work on the assembly line of the old Glenn L. Martin Co. plant in Middle River, building Martin B-26 Marauder bombers.

A 35-year-old Parkville woman has been charged with three counts of insurance fraud stemming from allegations that she filed three fraudulent claims and was paid a total of $21,563, the office of the Maryland attorney general said Thursday. Charges were filed against Katina Hutchinson, Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler said. An arraignment is set for April 27 in Baltimore Circuit Court. The state accuses Hutchinson of filing fraudulent claims as well as fraudulent supporting documents on her supplemental health policy with American Family Life Assurance Co. last year between July 15 and Aug. 17. AFLAC issued three separate checks for a total of $21,563, the state said.

Maryland-based Giant Food says it will be moving into a Perry Hall shopping center at Belair Road and Hannon Court. Construction workers are now turning a 57,000-square-foot retail site, formerly occupied by Super Fresh, into a Giant Food store. The new store will open later this year. Earlier this year, Giant acquired and converted two stores in Baltimore in Parkville.

Baltimore County fire officials have identified a Parkville man who died in a cooking fire Sunday morning. Lewis Arnold Matthaei, 95, was found dead in the kitchen of his apartment in the 8400 block of Nunley Drive in the Ridge Garden Apartments, according to Baltimore County fire spokeswoman Elise Armacost. Investigators ruled that the fire was accidental and began when Matthaei was cooking. Matthaei lived alone. - Liz F. Kay

Arnolia United Methodist Church Thrift Store, 1776 E. Joppa Road, in Parkville (corner of Joppa and Oakley roads) announces its grand opening on Aug. 22 at 11 a.m. Proceeds will support Arnolia outreach programs for persons in the 21234 ZIP code. The outreach programs assist the community with school supplies, food and to help prevent evictions and utility turn-offs. Items from the thrift store will include gently used men's, women's and children's clothing, housewares and other household items.

Here's a weekend project: protect yourself from identity theft. Spend a little time cleaning out your filing cabinets and bring documents that you want to destroy to Parkville's Destinations Credit Union from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Incred-A-Shred will have one of their mobile shredding units at the credit union at that time. Destinations is at 8767 Satyr Hill Road, Parkville. Wondering what documents you need to hang on to, and which you can toss (into a shredder)

A man pulled a handgun on police and barricaded himself inside a Baltimore County home Thursday morning after officers attempted to serve a warrant, police said. County police say officers were serving a second-degree assault warrant on an unidentified man in the 7600 block of Perring Terrace in Parkville when the man ran to a bedroom and retrieved a handgun. He pointed the gun at an officer and barricaded himself inside the bedroom at about 10:30 a.m., and at some point fired a shot within the home, said police spokesman Robert McCullough.

Baltimore County Police are investigating two non-fatal shootings that occurred on consecutive nights in Parkville. Police said an adult male was shot in the lower abdomen early Friday morning, around 2 a.m. in the area of Comet Court, near Perring Parkway. A second shooting occurred just after 12 a.m. Saturday in the 100 block of Solar Circle, near Comet Court, where police found a blood trail and an adult male who had been shot once in the leg, near the groin. The victim told police he was attempting to flee a robbery when he was shot.

A woman found dead in her Parkville home was murdered, Baltimore County police said Thursday, and her death is being investigated as part of a murder-suicide. On Wednesday afternoon, police found Evelyn Delene Hofferberth, 66, in the basement of her home in the 2700 block of Sarah Lane, with a large pool of blood around her head. Hofferberth's daughter had received a call from her mother's workplace when Hofferberth failed to show up for work for two days. When another family member checked up on her, they found her dead and called police.

A Parkville couple accused of treating a 15-year-old girl from North Carolina as their personal sex "slave" and filming and distributing videos online of their sexual interactions with her have each been indicted on more than a dozen state and federal sex abuse charges. The federal indictment, made this month, includes charges of producing and distributing child pornography, and transporting the girl across state lines for sexual reasons. John Andrew Blaes, 48, and Margaret Ellen Jones, 36, met online in 2010 and "became involved in a sexual relationship involving bondage, discipline, sadism, and masochism," according to the federal indictment, filed May 9. Shortly after, Jones moved into Blaes' home in the 8600 block of Wendell Ave. in Parkville.

Robert Larkin's association with Oak Crest retirement community in Parkville began long before he and his wife purchased a condo there in 2001. The 86-year-old retired Baltimore City police major had contacts with Oak Crest before it even opened its doors. "I used to walk over here from Perry Hall during construction," Larkin said. "I'd wear my hard hat, [and] I got to know all the workers. That was in 1994. " There was never any doubt that the he and his wife, Gloria, would move into Oak Crest when they felt the time was right.

On deadline day at Liberty Tax Service on Harford Road, a young woman in a green Statue of Liberty costume stood out front waving frantically at passing cars. But on Tuesday morning, you'd never know a deadline was looming from the relative calm inside the Parkville storefront office. Two tax preparers sat across desks from customers, methodically entering information into forms on their computers. Manager Neil Riordan figured most people had no idea they had two extra days to file their tax returns, since the 15th fell on a Sunday and Monday was a local holiday in Washington, D.C. Riordan said the office saw a rush of down-to-the-wire filers last week.

Charles Edward Miller, who owned and operated a Charles Village commercial art school, died in his sleep April 9 at the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home. No cause of death was determined, family members said. He was 93 and had lived in the Cromwell Valley section of Baltimore County. Born and raised in New Windsor, he was a 1936 graduate of New Windsor High School, where he played on a championship basketball team and won silver medals in track and field competitions. A drummer, he played in his high school orchestra and the Maryland State Orchestra.

In response to the letter written by David Holstein of Parkville ("Trayvon Martin coverage shows liberal bias," March 29), I would like to respectfully disagree with his perspective. First, he uses the term "liberal" as an empty label to de-humanize a person or an organization. Using empty labels such as "liberal, conservative, Republican, Democrat, heretic, commie, socialist, etc. " seems very divisive and disrespectful. These are words a bully would use to force his or her viewpoint onto others.

Developers in some parts of northeastern Baltimore County would no longer be able to squeeze new properties onto existing lots without a new road, under a bill introduced by three County Council members Monday. The bill, set for a vote next month, would ban new "panhandle lots" in Parkville, Cub Hill and Carney, a move meant to control density. It was introduced by David Marks, a Perry Hall Republican; Cathy Bevins, a Middle River Democrat; and Todd Huff, a Lutherville Republican.

Baltimore County police have charged a man with first-degree murder in the stabbing death of another man during an argument over the weekend. Vincent Garnett Forney, 44, of the 1700 block of Forrest Ave. in Parkville was visiting a female friend in the same block Saturday night when Jamari Davon Mathis arrived and there was an altercation, said Detective Cathy Batton. Police say that Forney stabbed Mathis, 38, of the 4000 block of Ridgecroft Road in Baltimore, she said. Police said Mathis tried to drive away in his 2008 Honda Accord but crashed in the woods about five houses away.

Four people were stabbed after a fight broke out at the Cheers Bar & Grill in Parkville early Saturday morning, Baltimore County police said. Officers were called around 2 a.m. to the bar in the 1900 block of East Joppa Road for reports of a fight. One person was taken into custody, police said. One man was stabbed in the chest and another was stabbed in the lower back; both were taken to Bayview Medical Center. Two others were taken to Good Samaritan Hospital. One was stabbed in the shoulder and one in the hand.

Area churches, community centers, clubs and others, in Baltimore county and city are sponsoring egg hunts and Easter-related activities for children, offering plenty of opportunities to hop on over to one near you. Arbutus Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, Violetville United Methodist Church, 3648 Coolidge Ave., Saturday, March 31, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. "Eggstra" special fare, bake sale and carryout items. 410-525-3191. Lansdowne Easter Bunny Breakfast, Lansdowne Volunteer Fire Department, 140 Laverne Ave. Pancakes, bacon, sausage, eggs, toast, coffee, tea, juice and hot chocolate.

Kelly Dalla Tezza, a Fulbright scholar who planned a career in the U.S. Foreign Service, died Friday in an automobile accident in Morocco. She was 22 and lived in Parkville. Family members said she had a flat tire while driving on a road near Rabat and lost control of the vehicle. "She was the most fearless person I have ever known," said a close friend, Ashleen Williams of Bahrain, who is also a Fulbright scholar. "She was willing to go anywhere and do pretty much anything.